Azores Wine Company Arinto Dos Açores Sur Lies Colheitas 3 Harvests

Wine from the Portuguese Azores means an Atlantic Ocean injection. Wine has been made in the Azores, a group of islands in the Atlantic Ocean about 1,400 kilometers west of Lisbon, since the sixteenth century. But so little that you hardly ever see the wines from the Azores on the European mainland. They make around 20,000 liters per year, which is approximately the annual harvest in the Azores. It's all white and a lot of it is fortified with alcohol. The wine is made from typical Portuguese grapes, such as Verdelho and Arinto. What is also still unknown, but certainly not unloved by wine connoisseurs, is quality because the Azores have a great climate for wine. The sea breeze ensures healthy grape vines that do not require chemical intervention. Moisture, sun and a large difference in temperature make the wines of the Azores incredibly beautiful. With its unique and unusual terroir, the vines are planted in the rock cracks at the foot of the volcanic mountain, so close to the ocean that locals say you can "hear the crabs singing".

The vineyards are protected from strong salty ocean winds by rock walls known as “currai” but despite this, yields from the vineyards are almost literally at the high tide line extremely low and years (such as 2022 and 2023) experience extreme storms the vineyards have to deal with an abundance of salty seawater. From 2024 onwards, for this reason, they have started to raise more and more of their wines in a Solera system and the wines will become Non Vintage. With the extremely low yield, they can 'blend' different harvests/vintages via the Solera (such as a sherry) and in addition, the grapes and the high acidity are more than ideal for (long) aging in a Solera

This 100% Arinto dos Açores is an indigenous breed and therefore exclusive to the Azores Islands. Despite what the name suggests, the Arinto dos Açores is not related to the Arinto. When the grapes are perfectly ripe, they are harvested by hand and taken to the press in baskets with a capacity of 20 kg, where the entire bunches are pressed. The juice undergoes fermentation, after which the wine is allowed to age on its lees (sur lie) in small stainless steel tanks of 600 to 1000L and regular battonage takes place to ensure that contact with the lees remains optimal. The bottles are numbered and 4,400 bottles of this edition were made. See 360-degree image below for details.

As the name suggests, this Non Vintage (NV) edition of the Arinto Dos Açores Sur Lies Colheitas 3 Harvests consists of 3 harvests bottled from a Solera system. On the nose the wine is super fresh, pure and mineral aromas with a hint of grapefruit. Fresh and mineral in the mouth, smoke and salty notes with a very pleasant aftertaste. The salty notes in this wine and the direct influence of the sea make it a perfect accompaniment to oysters, grilled fish, salads and seafood. Beautiful wine that becomes even more wonderful with age.

FACT: In the 'Attachments' tab you will find the official fact sheet of this beautiful wine. We will send this to you automatically when you order this wine. The wine is stored in our conditioned Wine Warehouse and when you pick up the wine you will often receive a nice discount . You will see your discount immediately when you choose 'Collect' on the checkout page. We are located in Dordrecht almost next to the A16 with plenty of parking. Click here for our address.